Compound archery bows have become increasingly popular for hunting in recent years. These bows use a cable which extends over eccentric pulleys revolvably mounted at the tips of the bow limbs to provide a mechanical advantage during the draw back of a bowstring.
The compound bow cable includes a central, or bowstring, portion for reception of the arrow and also a pair of inside cable portions which extend over the pulleys. The inside cable portions typically cross one another between the limbs and attach to the bow limb opposite the pulley over which the respective inside portion extends. With this arrangement, when the bow string is in the full draw position, maximum potential energy is stored in the bow while the force required to maintain the bow string in the full draw position is less than the maximum draw weight of the bow. In short, as the bowstring is being drawn, the draw weight or force applied to the bow increases to a maximum draw weight and reduces to a lower draw weight at the full draw position. Accordingly, maximum energy is stored in the limbs without requiring maximum force to be applied to the bowstring to hold it at the full draw position. This permits the archer to maintain aim on his target prior to release for a longer time for a better shot.
Many devices have been developed for attaching each inside cable portion to the respective opposite bow limb. One such method simply attaches the inside cable ends directly to the bow limb by a bolt. Other versions secure the inside cable to the bow limbs by means of a yoke member secured by a yoke cable to the axle upon which the respective eccentric pulley is rotatably mounted. Anchoring devices such as these are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,546,754 to Smith; 4,440,142 to Simonds; 4,337,749 to Barna; 4,333,443 to Roelle; 4,300,521 to Schmitt; and 4,064,862 to Groner.
For example, in each of the above noted patents to Schmitt, Smith and Simonds, a yoke cable connected at both its ends to a pulley axle extends about a perimetric edge portion of a yoke for securing the yoke anchor to the axle. An end of the inside cable extends through a hole or groove in the yoke anchor and is fixedly secured back to itself by a clasp or sleeve-like member. Such yoke anchors have the drawback of not permitting an inside cable to be readily removed from the anchor. Accordingly, a need remains for an inside cable anchor for a compound bow having the ability to releasably, reusably, and adjustably secure an inside cable to the bow limb.